Overview
Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions transformed the language, with the poets, scholars, reformers, and others who helped create its character. The book relates a real journey. David and Hilary Crystal drove thousands of miles to produce this fascinating combination of English-language history and travelogue, from locations in south-east Kent to the Scottish lowlands, and from south-west Wales to the East Anglian coast. David provides the descriptions and linguistic associations, Hilary the full-colour photographs. They include a guide for anyone wanting to follow in their footsteps but arrange the book to reflect the chronology of the language. This starts with the Anglo-Saxon arrivals in Kent and in the places that show the earliest evidence of English. It ends in London with the latest apps for grammar. In between are intimate encounters with the places associated with such writers as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth; the biblical Wycliffe and Tyndale; the dictionary compilers Cawdrey, Johnson, and Murray; dialect writers, elocutionists, and grammarians, and a host of other personalities. Among the book's many joys are the diverse places that allow warriors such as Byrhtnoth and King Alfred to share pages with wordsmiths like Robert Burns and Tim Bobbin, and the unexpected discoveries that enliven every stage of the authors' epic journey.
Full Product Details
Author: David Crystal ,
Hilary Crystal
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 17.20cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 24.30cm
Weight: 0.848kg
ISBN: 9780198729136
ISBN 10: 0198729138
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 05 March 2015
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
sparkling new book The Press (York)
Part history, part travel guide, illustrated with high-quality colour photographs of places associated with the development of the language and those writers who used it to greatest effect, it is an original and ambitious project wonderfully realised. Evergreen 31/03/2014 Language is a living thing, and Crystal is a lively, literate guide to the landmarks that signpost its long history. Iain Finlayson, The Times 21/09/2013 A splendiferous, beautiful, colourful book that every language, history, archaeology and literature lover should have on their coffee tables and tucked under their arms when they get on a train to jaunt across the country. Huffington Post 11/03/2014 Linguist David Crystal and his wife, Hilary, a speech therapist, cover a lot of ground, literally and figuratively, in this ambitious journey through the evolution of the English language. Publishers Weekly 09/12/2013 No person who loves language and visiting places should be without this book - I can't praise it highly enough! Michele Clarke, Editing Matters, Society for Editors and Proofreaders 01/01/2014 An absorbing read, delivered in Crystal's usual clear and enthusiastic style. The Good Book Guide An eloquent, learned guide offering inspiration for linguists and travellers alike. Sophie Mcgrath, Lonely Planet Traveller 01/11/2013 If you're currently looking for a Christmas present for someone with an interest in English and its history, you might want to consider this gorgeous book Language Hat 14/12/2013
An original idea, enjoyably realised, this is an entertaining, handsomely illustrated guide Independent, Christopher Hirst sparkling new book The Press (York)
Author Information
David Crystal is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language. He has published extensively on the history and development of English, including The Stories of English (2004), Evolving English (2010), Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language (2010), The Story of English in 100 Words (2011), and Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling (2012). Hilary Crystal trained as a speech therapist, worked for a while in clinical linguistic research, then became a sub-editor for the various volumes in the Cambridge and Penguin families of encyclopedias. She has designed several books, notably the anthologies of the poetry of John Bradburne edited by David.
